Ralph Hasenhuttl may have had some pre match criticism on Wednesday for his team selection for the tie against West Ham, but it turns out that not all of the changes were by choice.

Aside from the likes of Nathan Tella Lyanco & Alex McCarthy, Saints have four new injury issues as they go into an important game up at Aston Villa, two of which were picked up in the game at Villa Park.

Shane Long came off at half time against the Hammers and could miss out on the game, but the departure of Kyle Walker Peters early in the second half was more about injury that tactical, he was suffering from a hamstring issue although hopefully he came off before any real damage and may be able to feature.

But two of the missing players also had injuries, Mohammed Salisu was feeling his hamstring so was not risked and also Moi Elyounoussi with a heel issue was missing.

Ralph Hasenhuttl had this to say ahead of the game:

"I don't know exactly how it looks. Longy [Shane Long] was brought off at half time, Kyle [Walker-Peters] had a little problem with his hamstring, that's the reason we subbed him.

"We have problems with Sali [Mohammed Salisu] with his hamstring and Moi [Elyounoussi] with his heel.

"A few issues, we will have a look and if they are ready for the weekend."

All four have been key players of late, however whilst last season having 7 players out would have been a big problem, this season we have a far stronger squad.

The absence of Shane Long will be a blow, he has become in cricketing terms our "Death Bowler" the man that comes in at the end not to perhaps take wickets, but to ensure that not too many runs are scored.

That is Long's role now, a cameo role at the end to harass the opposition back line and to hold the ball up and draw fouls to take the sting out of the game when we are looking to hold a lead.

Ralph still has his three striking options in Armando Broja, Che Adams & Adam Armstrong available.

The loss of Kyle Walker Peters would also be a blow, but Tino Livramento is a class act at right back and Romain Perraud has shown he has what it takes at this level, in the full back department we are blessed.

The injury to Moi Elyounoussi will also be a blow, he has been in fine form of late, but again we have plenty of other options in that department, Nathan Redmond has been a key player in providing assists to others and his shot that rattled the bar against West Ham showed he can still threaten the goal, we also have Theo Walcott, Will Smallbone, ^ Moussa Djenepo.

But the big loss would be Mohamed Salisu, already a candidate for player of the year, he has made himself the number 1 central defender and has been key to our success over the past few months.

Again we have plenty of options to replace him, Jack Stephens & Jan Valery did a job on Wednesday, both have different attributes and could slot in.

A year ago it was common for us to have 7 injuries and we struggled to cope, now we have a squad that can do so as was shown when a side containing 9 fringe players performed so well against a virtual full strength West Ham side.

I would contend that that starting line up against West ham was better than the first team starting XI's we were putting out in the second half of the 2017/18 season when we almost sunk into relegation.

Photo: Action Images

saint22 added 11:36 - Mar 4 Erm you can strike Theo from the list of players we have to rely upon! No coincidence our form is on an upwards trajectory since he has not seen any action
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Colburn added 11:52 - Mar 4 Would like to see Smallbone in if Elyonoussi isn't fit to play. He's far better against the ball than the other options and showed us he has everything to his game but most importantly, the strength and aggression to combat the Villa midfield. He put two terrific crosses in for AA and AB against the Hammers too. However he may only be able to manage 60 mins so it may be a bit too soon after weds. Walcott and Redmond have also become cameo players for me because they are not usually strong enough against the ball for Ralph's system and game plan. Djenepo seems to be still more of an impact player, but tackles and harries better than Walcott and Redmond, who is still an important member of the squad because he has the ability to come up with an effort like weds or an assist, but is not a starter for me these days. Whatever we do, we have enough depth to deal with the handful of injuries we currently have, the major difference between this season and last.

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underweststand added 12:57 - Mar 4 Some people think we are " weaker " when not playing Ralph's "regular" start selection. I think that was proven wrong midweek with 9 changes , and it may well be that Wednesdays' team " are well-used to each other and that JWP and KWP were the " interlopers ". Yan Valery surprised a lot with his display at CB. Diallo and Smallbone did well as did Adam A. who despite not scoring DAJFU as extra MF / defender. ...and what about Roman Perraud's goal?. He has been very unlucky in recent games with similar shots that hit the woodwork and forcing saves from the opposition keepers. I think Ralph had a good game plan, in holding back the "regulars" in the event of the game stretching out to 120 minutes. In the worst analysis we may need to play some of the " irregulars " from Wednesday's team, but hopefully have enough cover to get us a good result.

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TimSaint added 13:45 - Mar 4 I fully expect the team to be: FF KWP/Tino, Bed, Sali, Perr SArm, JWP, Rom, Ely Broj, Che Subs - Willy, Val, Jack, KWP/Tino, Smallbone, A Arm, Red, Diallo, Theo Djenny just doesn't make the cut and he did nothing to convince on Wednesday night and nothing for the whole season so far, if being honest. :-)
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Peterx added 14:12 - Mar 4 No point in playing anyone in this game who is carrying a minor injury, our squad is deep enough to cope. That's why I doubt we will have Salisu, KWP, Moi, S Long. Rather let them recover fully and play Thursday.
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ElijahK added 14:16 - Mar 4 Certainly does help to explain of why certain players may have been left out of the squad we had against West Ham (Salisu, Elynousie and such), although knowing Ralph, they may still have been left out…
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TimSaint added 16:50 - Mar 4 Sali and Ely were probably left out so that they can be ready for the Villa game. RH likes to give the occasional smoke screen when it comes to players being injured. We shall see come 2pm tomorrow, but regardless of who plays, we have a good record up there and fully expect to get a positive result. .....Ings to cry off injured again ?
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SaintPaulVW added 16:51 - Mar 4 If Ely is injured Redmond should be back, Stephens for Mo S and Tino for KWP. Valery can be on the bench to cover CB/RWB. Smallbone also bench, Ad Arm rotate with a striker. Other than that stick with the winning team. No point risking rushing back hamstring tweaks. We can afford extra recovery time. 3 solid replacements. Oh the joy of having depth.
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